G20 Summit 2023: Who Will Attend And Who Has Opted Out?

New Delhi is all set to host the world's most influential and powerful leaders at the G20 Summit 2023 this weekend.

All delegates will be hosted at the Bharat Mandapam, which is a complex within Pragati Maidan. The world-class convention centre will be the hotspot for all diplomatic activities, bilateral talks, and other summit activities.

Though there are some notable exceptions, the summit will be attended by top leaders from the U.S., Saudi Arabia, the U.K., South Africa, and France, as well as other invited nations such as Bangladesh, Egypt, and Nigeria.

Confirmed Attendees

• U.S. President Joe Biden: The White House has confirmed that Joe Biden will be arriving in India on Sept. 7 and will also be conducting a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi prior to attending the G20 summit.

• U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak: The G20 Summit will be Sunak's first official visit to India as Prime Minister.

• Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: The Canadian leader will be in India on Sept. 9 and 10 for the G20 leaders' summit, the Canadian PMO confirmed in a statement.

• French President Emmanuel Macron: An important member of the International Solar Alliance, Macron will be present at the summit and is expected to conduct bilateral talks on several issues with PM Modi.

• Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida: The Japanese PM will be part of a contingent of several leaders who will arrive in India upon the culmination of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, conducted from Sept. 6 to Sept. 7 in Jakarta.

• Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese: He will attend the G20 summit as part of a three-country tour that includes India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz: The German leader told Reuters that the upcoming G20 Summit remains important, despite Russia and China not attending.

• South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol: The South Korean leader will urge other leaders to respond to North Korea's missile provocations and nuclear threats, he told the Associated Press.

• South African President Cyril Ramaphosa: Fresh off a meeting with Modi at the BRICS summit, Ramaphosa will look to strengthen ties with the Indian PM further.

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Erdogan will be representing Turkiye at the summit.

Apart from the above-mentioned people, leaders from other G20 nations such as Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia will also be attending the meeting.

Who Have Opted Out?

• Russian President Vladimir Putin: Russia will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the absence of Putin.

• Chinese President Xi Jinping: China will be represented by Premier Li Qiang in the absence of Jinping. India's Minister for External Affairs, S. Jaishankar said their absence "was not unusual and will not affect negotiations to produce a consensus communiqué at the meeting".

• Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador: Obrador will not be attending the summit in India, according to NDTV.

• Unconfirmed: Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council Charles Michel, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Indonesia's Joko Widodo have not confirmed their presence at the summit.

Observer Nations

In addition to G20 members, India has invited the leaders of Bangladesh, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Egypt, Mauritius, Oman, Singapore, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates.

Top administrators from international organisations such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the World Trade Organisation, the World Health Organisation, the International Labour Organisation, the Financial Stability Board, and the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development have also been invited. Chairs of regional organisations such as the African Union, the New Partnership for Africa's Development, and Asean will also be present.

India, as the G20 President, will be inviting members of the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, and the Asian Development Bank as guest international organisations.